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Archive for Torture

Died 6th November 2014

Cerys Yemm (22) from Blackwood was murdered on 6th November 2014 at the Sirhowy Arms Hotel, Argoed, Caerphilly, South Wales.

Ms Yemm was killed by Matthew Williams (34). Security staff at the hotel reportedly found her terribly injured and cannibalised with the killer eating her face.

After the police were called Williams was tasered and died while under arrest. Ms Yemm was later pronounced dead.

Ms Yemm was a popular young woman, a well known shopworker who worked at Next.

It seems she had met Williams in a pub hours before her death where he was heard to offer to get her a taxi home. Williams had been released from prison two weeks earlier after serving less than half of a 5 year sentence for attacking his former partner,
Emma Thomas.

He was it seems not subject to any probation service monitoring, despite the fact his former parter lived close by and could have been at risk.

He had a reputation for violence and there were reports he may have been high on drugs.

Ms Thomas said: “He made my life hell. I’ve had nothing to do with him since we broke up more than two years ago. It is a terrible shock and I’m very sad that this has happened.”

The Sirhowy Arms Hotel is a halfway house for ex-offenders.

Note: This report was drawn from reports in the Daily Mail and the BBC.

FOD Comment:

Ms Yemm’s terrible death is not being investigated by the IPCC, despite the fact that Williams was an unsupervised violent offender and known to be a danger to women. In addition, it seems a single female police officer was sent to this extraordinarily violent incident.

Williams death in police custody is however under investigation by the IPCC.

Attacked 6th April 2014

Three women have been attacked by a man with a hammer at the Cumberland Hotel, in London on 6th April 2014 leaving one fighting for her life. The attacker fled the scene.

The three women, all sisters, were taken to central London hospitals with head injuries after the assault in the early hours of 6th April 2014. The most severely injured woman has life-threatening injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma. Reports suggest she has lost an eye and only has 5% of brain function. Another sister has 2 fractures to her skull, a broken arm and fracture to her cheekbone. The third sister has a fractured skull and a ruptured left eardrum.

All three victims were from the United Arab Emirates and in their 30s. They had been on a shopping trip.

Police said the man entered a room on the seventh floor of the Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch where the three women and three children were sleeping. It is believed the suspect was disturbed and the women were then hit about the face and head with a hammer. The police said a hammer had been recovered from the scene. A thousand pounds worth of property was stolen and £3,000 subsequently withdrawn from one of the victim’s bank accounts.

The attack is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police murder investigation team. which is attached to the Homicide and Major Crime Command. The police said they are treating the attack as attempted murder.

The spokesperson said detectives were trying to find out if the attacker was known to the victims.

Subsequent reports indicate a man called Philip Spence has been charged with three counts of attempted murder. He has also been charged with aggravated burglary. Three other people, two men and a woman, have been charged with receiving or handling stolen goods.

Note: This report was drawn from reports in the Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mirror and the BBC.